Reclosing device for circuit breakers



Dec. 13, 1938. L, w, DYER 2,140,352

RECLOSING DEVICE FOR CIRCUIT BREAKERS Filed Nov. 3, .1954

WITNESSES 7'0 Source 02 Currenf Patented Dec. 13, 1938 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE RECLOSING DEVICE FOR CIRCUIT BREAKERS vania ApplicationNovember 3, 1934, Serial No. 751,378

5 Claims.

My invention relates, generally, to circuit controlling devices, and ithas particular relation to reclosing mechanism for circuit breakers.

The object of my invention, generally stated, is to provide a reclosingmechanism for a circuit breaker, which shall be simple and efiicient inoperation, and which may be readily and economically manufactured andinstalled.

The principal object of my invention is to pro vide for automaticallyreclosing a circuit breaker when it is operated to the open position.

A more specific object of my invention is to provide for automaticallyreclosing a circuit breaker by means of a fluid switching devicecontrolled by the operations of the breaker.

Another important object of my invention is to provide for successivelyreclosing a circuit breaker.

Still another object of my invention is to provide for successivelyreclosing a circuit breaker a predetermined number of times, andpreventing further operation after the circuit breaker has been reclosedfor the predetermined number of times.

Other objects of my invention will, in part, be obvious, and, in part,appear hereinafter.

My invention, accordingly, is disclosed in the embodiment hereof shownin the accompanying drawing, and comprises the features of construction,combination of elements, and arrangement of parts which will beexemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope ofthe application of which will be indicated in the appended claims.

For a more complete understanding of the nature and scope of myinvention, reference may be had to the following detailed description,

taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figures 1 and 2 are views partly in section and partly in side elevationof a concrete embodiment of my invention, as located in the differentpositions in accordance with the movement of a circuit breaker; and,

Figs. 3 and 4 are views in side elevation of different positions of acircuit breaker to which this invention may be applied for controllingits operation.

In order to effect the reclosure of a circuit breaker, after it has beentripped to the open position, a container is provided which is arrangedto be rotatable in accordance with the movement of the circuit breakerfrom the closed to the open position, and vice versa. In this embodimentof the invention the container is provided with two compartments, one ofwhich contains a quantity of liquid when the circuit breaker is in theclosed position.

When the circuit breaker is tripped to the open position, the liquidflows through a restricted orifice into a cup which is located withinthe other compartment. When a predetermined amount of the liquid hasbeen received in the cup, contact members are closed which complete anenergizing circuit for the operating mechanism of the circuit breaker.The circuit breaker is then closed, and the liquid begins to flow backto its original position.

In the event that the circuit breaker is immediately tripped again, theforegoing cycle of operation is repeated, and the circuit breaker isagain closed. As long as the circuit breaker continues to be immediatelytripped on reclosing, the reclosing mechanism will continue to effectits reclosure until substantially all of the liquid has passed into thecompartment which is in the lower position when the circuit breaker isin the open position.

It is then necessary to manually reclose the circuit breaker, and permitthe liquid to fiow back to the compartment, which is in the lowerposition when the circuit breaker is in the closed position.

Referring now particularly to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing, thereference character lfl designates a liquid-tight container providedwith an upper compartment H, and a lower compartment 12, which areseparated by means of a partition I3. The compartments II and I2 are,respectively, in the upper and lower positions when the circuit breaker,to which it is attached, is in the open position.

As illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawing, thecontainer I0 ismounted for rotation on a bracket M which may be supported on a panelIS, on which a circuit breaker, shown generally at I 6, may be mountedin the customary manner. The circuit breaker [6 comprises fixed andmovable contact members i? and. [8, respectively, and an operatingsolenoid I9, which, on energization, is disposed to attract an armature20 that is connected by means of links 2! and 22 to operate the movablecontact member 18 into engagement with the fixed contact member l'i.

As illustrated, the fixed and movable contact members H and I8 may beconnected to terminals 23 and 24, respectively, which, in turn, may beconnected to the circuit which is controlled by the circuit breaker It.Any suitable tripping mechanism (not shown) may be provided for trippingthe movable contact member l8, so that it will open the circuit. Suchtripping mechanisms may include a series overload trip, or a shunt tripoperated in response to a low voltage on the circuit or in response toany other characteristic of the load circuit, as is well known to thoseskilled in the art.

An additional link 25, provided with a rack 26, is connected to thepivot point between the links 2| and 22, as illustrated. The rack 26 isarranged to engage a gear wheel 21, which is secured to the containerl0.' When the circuit breaker is in the open position, the container 0will assume the position illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawing, and shownin detail in Fig. 1. When the circuit breaker is operated to the closedposition, the rack 25 will effect the rotation of the container Iii, sothat it will assume the position illustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawingand shown in detail in Fig. 2. While the container H! has beenillustrated as being rotatable through an angle of it will be readilyapparent that it may be arranged to rotate through a greater or lesserangle, depending upon the design and construction of the mechanism.

A liquid 28, which is preferably mercury, is located in the uppercompartment II, that normally is in the lower position when the circuitbreaker is in the closed position. The liquid 28 is permitted to flowinto the lower compartment 52 through an orifice 29. As illustrated, therate of flow through the orifice 29 may be adjusted by means of a valve,shown generally at 30, which is provided with a hand wheel 3| foradjusting the discharge opening.

In the lower compartment l2, the liquid 28 flows into a cup 32 which ismounted on one end of a lever 33 that is pivoted at 34. A spring 35 isprovided for balancing the weight of the cup 32, and the liquid 28 whichflows into it.

When a predetermined amount of liquid 28 has been discharged into thecup 32, the biasing force of the spring 35 is overcome, therebypermitting a movable contact member 36, carried by the lever 33, toengage a fixed contact member 31. The movable and fixed contact members36 and iii are connected, respectively, as illustrated, to terminals 38and 39, which are mounted in a cover plate 40 and insulated therefrom.

When the movable contact member 36 engages the fixed contact member 31,a circuit is completed from a current source, which is not shown butwhich is indicated, for effecting the energization of the solenoid [9.The armature 20 is then attracted and the circuit breaker I6 is operatedto move the contact member l8 into engagement with the contact member I!to complete he circuit.

As soon as the circuit breaker I6 is closed, the container I0 isactuated to the position illustrated in Figs. 2 and 4 of the drawing.The contact members 36 and 37 are then separated and the liquid 28,which had flowed into the cup 32, is discharged therefrom into thecompartment l2 and. begins to flow back through an orifice 4! into thecompartment H, which is now in the lower position.

It will be observed that the rate of flow of the liquid 28 back into thecompartment H is restricted. If the circuit breaker I6 is immediatelytripped out again, the foregoing cycle of operation will be repeated,permitting more of the liquid 28 to flow into the lower compartment I2.

This cycle of operation will be repeated until sufficient liquid 28 nolonger remains in the compartment H to fill the cup 32 to such an extentthat the biasing force of the spring 35 will be overcome. The reclosingmechanism is then automatically locked out and must be manually reset.

The mechanism may be manually reset by an operator manually operatingthe circuit breaker [6 by moving a handle 42 downwardly. As illustrated,the handle 42 is connected by means of a suitable linkage arrangement tothe link 2|, so that downward movement of the handle will cause the samemovement of the circuit breaker 16 that is caused by the attraction ofthe armature 20 by the solenoid I 9.

While the invention has been illustrated as being applicable to acircuit breaker of a type which is commonly known as a carbon circuitbreaker, it will be readily apparent that it may be employed with othertypes of circuit breakers which may be closed by other operating meansthan a solenoid, such, for example, as a motor operated mechanism.Therefore, the illustration and description of this invention, inconnection with a particular type of solenoid operated circuit breaker,is to be understood as being for illustrative purposes only.

Since certain further changes may be made in the above construction, anddifierent embodiments of the invention may be made without departingfrom the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in theabove description or shown in the accompanying drawing, shall beinterpreted as illustrative, and not in a limiting sense.

I claim as my invention:

1. An electric circuit controller comprising, an envelope having upperand lower chambers interconnected by a plurality of passages and movablefrom a normal position to another predetermined position, a quantity offluid within the container normally located in the lower chamber whenthe envelope is in its normal position and which flows into the upperchamber through one of said passages when the envelope is moved to saidother predetermined position and which flows back into the lower chamberthrough another of said passages at a restricted rate when the envelopeis returned to normal position, a switch mechanism in the upper chamberadapted to be mechanically actuated by the weight of a predeterminedamount of fiuid flowing into said chamber through said first-mentionedpassage, and means operable from without the envelope to adjust the rateof fiuid flow into the switch containing chamber.

2. An electric circuit controller comprising an envelope having a switchchamber and a fluid storage chamber and movable between predeterminedpositions, said chambers being interconnected by fluid dischargeorifices so constituted that fluid flows from the storage chamber intothe switch chamber at a higher rate than from the switch chamber intothe storage chamber in response to successive movements of the envelopebetween said predetermined positions, a quantity of fluid in theenvelope, and a circuit controlling switch mounted in the switch chamberdisposed to be mechanically actuated by the weight of a predeterminedamount of fluid discharged therein from the storage chamber, wherebyonly a predetermined number of operations of the switch may be eifectedby successive movements of the envelope between said predeterminedpositions.

3. An electric circuit controller comprising a container mounted forrotational movement about a horizontal axis and provided with apartition forming upper and lower compartments, a quantity of fluid inthe container, a discharge orifice in the partition through which fluidin the upper compartment may flow into the lower compartment only at arestricted rate, a second discharge orifice in the partition throughwhich fluid may flow from the lower compartment into the uppercompartment only when the container is rotated through a halfrevolution, means for adjusting the rate of flow through said secondorifice, and a mechanical circuit controlling switch mounted in theupper compartment disposed to be mechanically actuated in response tothe fiow of a predetermined amount of said fluid through said seconddischarge orifice.

4. An electric circuit controller comprising a container having an upperswitch compartment and a lower fluid storage compartment, said containerbeing rotatably mounted so that the upper compartment may be positionedbelow the lower compartment, a quantity of fluid in said container, adischarge orifice extending from the upper compartment into the lowercompartment through which fluid may flow into the lower compartment onlyat a restricted rate, a second discharge orifice extending from thelower compartment into the upper compartment through which fluid mayflow into the upper compartment only at a higher rate when the containeris rotated to position the upper compartment below the lowercompartment, and a switch mechanism having contact members normallybiased to the open position disposed in the upper switch compartmentdisposed to be actuated to close its contact members by the flow of apredetermined quantity of said fluid through said second dischargeorifice.

5. An electric circuit controller comprising a container having an upperswitch compartment and a lower fluid storage compartment, said containerbeing rotatably mounted so that the upper compartment may be positionedbelow the lower compartment, a quantity of fluid in said container, adischarge orifice extending from the upper compartment into the lowercompartment through which fluid may flow into the lower compartment onlyat a restricted rate, a second discharge orifice extending from thelower compartment into the upper compartment through which fluid mayflow into the upper compartment only at a higher rate when the containeris rotated to position the upper compartment below the lowercompartment, a switch mechanism disposed in the upper compartment, and acup member attached to the switch mechanism disposed to receive thefluid discharged by said second orifice to mechanically actuate theswitch, whereby successive rotational movements of the container Willeffect a predetermined number of successive operations of the switchmechanism as determined by the total quantity of fluid and the relativedischarge rates of the orifices.

LLOYD W. DYER.

